WALLABY great Nick Farr-Jones has called on the leaders of Welsh rugby to get their country back on track for the sake of the world game.

WALLABY great Nick Farr-Jones has called on the leaders of Welsh rugby to get their country back on track for the sake of the world game.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's Sydney clash between Australia and Wales, the former World Cup winning skipper said he was "dismayed" at the collapse in Welsh fortunes.

And though he could not see past a home win tomorrow, Farr-Jones admitted international rugby desperately needed Wales to climb back up among the leading nations.

"I am disappointed at the way Wales don't seem to have moved on with the rest of the world," he said. "I would love to see Wales back up there competing with the best and so would everyone else who appreciates rugby.

"It is in some ways an indictment for the global game that we are about to start a World Cup with only four, possibly five, countries with a realistic chance of winning it.

"Compare that to the football World Cup last year where you had the likes of Turkey and South Korea in the semi-finals. That was great for the game on a world scale. So it is essential we get more countries up there competing, especially those with the great tradition and passion for the game, like Wales.

"I hear things are changing in Wales in terms of the club system and hopefully that is for the best. Any change had to be for the best."

Farr-Jones was a member of one the most innovative rugby sides to be seen in the game, the 1984 Wallaby side that completed the Grand Slam over the home nations on their UK tour.

"I often meet with some of the old Welsh players from the past and I really feel for them when you look at what has been going on recently," he said. "So I really hope Wales can sort themselves out. Modern professional rugby has definitely lost something, perhaps it's passion but also it's simplicity and artistry, and Wales used to provide that."